In the '40s and '50s, there were hundreds of beautiful melodies, from "Canadian Sunset" to "Mona Lisa" to "Three Coins in the Fountain," and I could go on with many, many more.

Yes, there were some crazy ones, such as Rosemary Clooney's "Botch-A-Me," but at least in every song you could always hear and understand every word. Growing up in that era was special, and I will always be grateful for the experience.

Today's youth will never understand that bygone quality of life that they can never experience.

F. A. Thompson
Manlius

Good melodies can still be found if you look

To the Editor:

To Phil Klein: Your point is well taken and you're real close. You have provided a good template to start a discussion on this subject. So I would like to try and gather a few people who I think would find it easy to take this further.

You have to include the '60s; some good melody and song structure was still practiced, but not as often, and in the '70's or '80s as well. It all started to lose interest for me in the '90s. But think back to the day of Cole Porter, Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Mercer and the like, performers such as Frank Sinatra who could interpret the song and its melody for everything, Buddy Rich's Big Band, Count Basie, Nelson Riddle. And you have to mention Ella and Peggy Lee and a whole host of wonderful women.

Every generation has its songsmith, so to speak, where melody and articulation mean something. You can find it. That's why further discussion is needed.

I come from the "feel" background. In order to express what I bring to song, the song has to have good structure, a melody and variables to make the arrangement work. You can find these after the '50s.

So I really appreciate your comments, Phil. Those of us in this business who have decades of experience behind us can relate quite easily and can get discouraged. I have a feature called "Song of The Day" on my Facebook page for the reason of highlighting a good song/melody because I awake with one in my head every day. My catalog is substantial. I draw on many decades and I have a lot of days ahead of me!

Thank you, Phil, and The Post-Standard, a great newspaper that we should all be proud of!

Frank DeFonda
Drummer
The Joe Whiting Band
Mark Doyle and The Maniacs
Fayetteville

Melody and rhythm will return to work together

To the Editor:

Phil Klein's commentary in Saturday's Post-Standard rings very true, but I'm a bit more optimistic regarding the future of "melody." We have all seen examples of how the old can evolve to become new again. Things that have substance and merit seem to last forever.

Like Phil, I have been a performing keyboardist for about 60 years. I, too, have seen the emotion that melody -- not rhythm -- evokes. I have felt the joy of watching an Alzheimer's patient in a nursing home "light up" to a familiar tune, and old friends who have long been apart join in song at a 50th reunion.

The demise of melody really started in the '50s, when anyone who could play four chords on a guitar and hit a drum became a musician. Now you don't even need that degree of skill!

Eventually, we will filter out what may the best from this "fad" (including the intricate and inventive rhythms) and emerge with more and perhaps even better music -- that includes melody -- composed and played by real musicians.